Another Side of Love – 1 John 4:17-18

By this, love is perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; because as He is, so also are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love. 1Jn 4:17-18

 

The love of God goes beyond our often generalized view of love in relation to grace and salvation. In this portion of Scripture, Apostle John highlights the power of God’s love, the love that will carry us through all of our life, even that which we live after death. Children of God can therefore be confident and fearless as they gain true understanding of and experience the love God has for them.

Christians must be confident in the Lord. Confidence denotes the ability to speak out freely, even when facing opposition. (Jn 18:3-4, Acts 4:18-19) John specifically refers to the believer’s confidence in the day of judgment, namely the Great White Throne Judgment. This is the ultimate court where every man- from Adam to the last generation- will be judged by God. Nothing will be hidden- our entire lives will be laid bare before God to judge. (Rev 20:11-15) In the midst of this spectacular and staggering scene, Christians will stand confident before God by their faith in His love. (v.17) God loved us, and sent His Son to the world to die in our place so that we can be saved. (1Jn 4:9-10) The love of Jesus rests upon our hearts, keeping us in perfect peace no matter what we face. God is love, and all the works of God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are done in love. As God abides in us, and we in Him, His love always remains in us. (Rom 8:38-39)

God withholds nothing good from us, even giving the greatest gift to us in Jesus, whom he sent to be our Lord and Savior. In moments when it seems that God is distant from us, we must remember that God is not to blame, but we must examine our faith. He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things? (Rom 8:32) Jesus’ work is good and complete- nothing else that God does will can improve or enhance his love, because it is already the greatest love. Confidence in the Lord is a matter of faith and trust. When God’s love is perfected in our life by faith, our hearts can remain calm as we trust in the Lord through any circumstance we face. (Rom 8:23)

In addition to faith in God’s love, believers must be sanctified to be confident in the coming judgment. (v.17) We must live and be like Jesus in this world. We must ask ourselves every day- Am I like Christ? The true test of sanctification is humility. As we measure ourselves to Jesus, we will walk in humility as we see the difference between the Son of God and ourselves. Humility leads us to deny ourselves and trust and follow Jesus our Lord. (Lk 5:8) He set the perfect example for us to follow, by becoming a servant, obeying to the point of death, even death on a cross. (Phil 2:8) As we share in the sufferings of Christ, we will surely share in His glorification. This is our confidence. (Rom 8:15,17)

Christians must be fearless. Love and fear cannot coexist. Love is triumphant, casting out all reasons to fear. We fear when the love of God is unclear in our hearts. When we don’t understand God’s love and grace in the gospel, the fear of punishment and judgment becomes a burden in our hearts that only the gospel of Jesus can alleviate. Man fears God’s punishment, but love always pardons, leaving fear irrelevant. (Gen 3:8,17) Fear implies a lack of assurance of salvation. If by faith in God’s love you no longer fear the coming judgment, there is no reason to fear anything in this present world. We must understand and fully receive God’s love in the gospel to have no fear, for your deliverance is promised and secure in Christ.

It is by God’s love the early church courageously gave up their lives for the sake of the gospel. There was no fear of death for the martyrs of Christ, because love was perfected in their hearts with perfect peace through the gospel. Death became merely a gateway to stand in judgment before the God who loved them, a judgment not to be punished, but to be rewarded for their faithfulness. (James 1:12; 2Tim 4:8) May we follow their path through the narrow gate, for the church today has the same hope, the same faith, and the same love of God to embolden us to live for Christ unto death and beyond.